Carpets are found in the home, commercial establishments, and motor vehicles such as automobiles, vans and even some trucks. The carpet provides a pleasing appearance, but also adds comfort, warmth and improved acoustic characteristics. It can be subjected to constant foot traffic. It is quite usual for a small area of the carpet to receive substantially more wear and tear than other areas. For instance, a carpeted room in a house will usually have a certain traffic pattern depending on where doors and other entrance ways are located. A hallway will receive much more traffic than an edge of a room away from doors and windows. Rooms and hallways in commercial establishments also will have certain established traffic patterns. Carpets in motor vehicles will have developed a localized heavy usage also, particularly in the foot well of the driver's side of the vehicle.
It is possible to even-out wear on a carpet by rotating it or even shifting its room locale if feasible. Wall to wall carpet and motor vehicle carpet, however, are permanently installed in one position. When one area of the carpet shows excessive wear and tear, it is necessary to discard the whole carpet.
Carpet mats of various shapes have been designed to provide a measure of protection to those areas of an underlying carpet which receive the most traffic. Thus, floor runners have been used in hallways. Foot mats have been used near an outside door. Car mats have been used for placement in the vehicle's front foot wells and even in the rear foot wells. The mats are typically made of a low quality carpet material which is itself discarded and replaced when necessary.
A problem inherent with a carpet mat used on a carpet is its tendency to slip. A carpet mat often has a smooth backing. The carpet will have a fibrous surface. The smooth backing of the mat on the fibrous surface of the carpet is very conducive to slippage during use. The problem is well recognized. Different solutions have been used. For instance, a mat with a roughened back side has been used. A mat with a low slip backing such as a foam layer has been used. Double-sided carpet tapes have also been used.
One carpet mat which has met with limited success has a backing with a set of vertically extending protrusions. The protrusions extend into the fibrous portion of the carpet being protected. They physically interact to prevent the mat from moving in a lateral direction. A particular problem with this type of gripping member is the initial positioning of the protrusions on the mat's underside. If the mat has a heavy plastic backing, the protrusions are simply included in the backing's mold design. This represents an added cost. Additionally, many carpet mats of various qualities are designed without a plastic backing and necessarily present no economical means for inclusion of the protrusions.
There has now been developed a carpet mat with an improved gripping member on its underside. The carpet mat of the invention is produced in an economical fashion without extensive capital costs or labor needs. The mat is capable of retaining its position when used on different carpets without damaging the carpet.